With regard to firearm and related testing, there are a number of conventional systems and methods for testing individual components for defects, testing springs through ranges of motion, measuring the force required to pull a trigger, assessing firing performance, and the like. For example, any individual components can be force tested for defects and there are trigger pull testers that plot force versus travel distance of a trigger. However, there are no known systems or methods for testing the action of a firearm, generally, but not exclusively, referring to the automatic loading/unloading of a cartridge as the bolt or slide of the firearm is cycled forward/backward. The trigger is normally pulled to cause the cycling of the slide after a round is fired.
Thus, what is still needed in the art is a system and method for testing the interaction(s) of multiple firearm components during operation without a live round such that firearm component defects, manufacturing tolerance problems, misalignments, and the like can be discovered during or subsequent to manufacture and prior to use. Additionally, what is still needed in the art is a system and method that can be used to monitor for and detect problems that develop over time due wear, deformation, corrosion, and/or abuse, as well as monitor the general readiness of a firearm for use in terms of cleanliness, buildup, and/or debris.